Last Long Beach Show?
lilolme
Posts: 2,696 ✭✭✭✭✭
I am being told that the Long Beach show is going bye bye.
Any input from others?
EDIT:
I looked at the pcgs show schedule and the June Long Beach has been removed from the list.
EDIT:
Also don't see anything about future shows on the Long Beach website.
https://www.longbeachexpo.com
https://youtube.com/watch?v=wwmUMvhy-lY - Pink Me And Bobby McGee
.
https://youtube.com/watch?v=D0FPxuQv2ns - Ruby Starr (from 'Go Jim Dandy') Maybe I'm Amazed
RLJ 1958 - 2023
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Their message didn’t say that. My sense is they’re going to end up going from 3 shows to 2, but will only hold the upcoming February show this year. The word they used was “pause” the June & September shows. I believe PCGS “owns” the show; there was a reference to them in the notice.
“The thrill of the hunt never gets old”
PCGS Registry: Screaming Eagles
Copperindian
Retired sets: Soaring Eagles
Copperindian
Nickelodeon
Email:
Dear Long Beach Expo Community,
For over 60 years, the Long Beach Expo has been more than just a marketplace — it has been a gathering place for the numismatic and collectibles community. Together, we've celebrated our shared passions, made lasting connections, and enjoyed the thrill of discovery on the beautiful California coast.
As we all experienced, the COVID-19 pandemic reshaped how events are organized and attended. While our community rebounded with enthusiasm, the rising costs of hosting these events have created challenges. We've worked tirelessly to balance those costs without compromising your experience or passing along undue expenses. We deeply value the vibrant, loyal community that makes the Long Beach Expo so special.
After careful consideration, we have decided to pause the June and September shows for 2025 and focus our efforts on delivering an exceptional experience at the February event. This adjustment allows us to better support our community and realign with our parent company, PCGS, and its core mission: providing industry-leading grading and authentication services that advance the hobby we all love.
We are fortunate to have such a vibrant and loyal community, and we are excited about the opportunity to reassess how we can best serve you. We want to thank our dedicated community of dealers, vendors, sponsors, attendees, and friends who make this show such an amazing event. We also want to extend our gratitude to our long-standing official auctioneer of the Long Beach Expo - Heritage Auctions. Your world-renowned auctions are a staple of the numismatic auction calendar and we are fortunate to be able to host both your live auctions and lot viewings over the years.
We are grateful for your continued support and excited about the opportunities ahead. Thank you for being such an integral part of this journey.
We look forward to welcoming you next month for an unforgettable February Long Beach Expo!
Sincerely,
The Long Beach Expo Team
I guess CA just got too expensive.
My Collection of Old Holders
Never a slave to one plastic brand will I ever be.
How much is the bean company cutting into profits?
I guess I better get busy and figure out what coins I’m going to submit this year. I live about 1/2 hour from Long Beach and I like to submit coins to PCGS at the shows. I have 8 vouchers but thought I could spread them out and submit some later in the year but I guess not.
Mr_Spud
Wow, I hate to hear this, but after talking to some dealers at the last show, I can't say I'm totally shocked.
Dave
The email was pretty vague as far as future dates but hopefully we can expect at least an annual show in Long Beach.
Was planning to join in June for the first time.
Not really surprising.
This hurts but I'm not surprised at all. After Covid the show dropped off significantly....and it was beginning to slide well before that too. It was always a fun show to attend, which I did 3 times a year for about 30 years. Sad to see it go (for now) but I have good memories of it....just sad.
jom
End of an era. RIP. Hoping for a resurrection but a lazarus event seems unlikely. I will really miss Long Beach.
Owner, Lone Mountain Coin
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This February will likely be the last show unless they can come up with either a different venue, or some else buying/taking over the show. Also, my understanding is that the main reason they are "pausing" the show is due to how expensive the hotels and venue itself have become. They already know their show is one of the more expensive table fee shows on the circuit and they can't keep passing higher expenses onto the dealers. The venue is constantly increasing fees, and charging for things piecemeal rather than being included in the hall fee as they used to be, including selling the parking structure to other groups, etc. They are still looking into alternatives so they aren't (yet) calling it quits.
The Penny Lady®
I'm glad I have my hotel reservations already, didn't realize it could be the last show.
Step it up Johnny - try & make this one!
Ken
“The thrill of the hunt never gets old”
PCGS Registry: Screaming Eagles
Copperindian
Retired sets: Soaring Eagles
Copperindian
Nickelodeon
If this really is the last show, I’ sure am glad I’ll be in attendance. It was also my first “major” show back in 2007. I used to joke that I “lived part-time” at the Long Beach Hyatt Regency. It’s actually been a couple years since I stayed there. The room prices have gone “beyond the 16th floor”
There will always be a place in my heart and on my schedule for this show.
Empty Nest Collection
Matt’s Mattes
I actually thought Baltimore would go by the wayside before Long Beach, but cac has an incredible opportunity to pounce and put together 1-2 big yearly shows in Virginia, and wipe all the Baltimore & Long Beach shows away, and take pcgs by the jugular at the same time. I feel like cacg is winning at every turn, and PCGS continues to shoot themselves in the foot at every opportunity.
This is a shame but understood. I have been skipping the LB show for the last few instances and I guess I wasn't the only one, although Charmy makes a good point about the venue expenses.
The LB airport is fantastic and made it easy to make a day trip out of it. For the longer stays, I loved the Hyatt as it was very reasonable for points redemption & free night certificates.
I haven't done it but I believe you can hand deliver coins to the PCGS offices.
Confirming you can absolutely do this. And you can also pick up your coins from their offices as well.
I think that the PCGS May coin show in La Vegas will be packed, now that there isn’t a June LB show…
PCGS said they will most likely be increasing their Members Only shows.
The Penny Lady®
De Ja Vu, all over again.
I went to Long Beach in 2004 for the first time; and then again in 2021, 2022 and 2023 (During which time dealers I have known for a long time told me that the show was going down hill and that it was not what is used to be).
Since I live in the SF Bay Area once I returned to the hobby as an adult in 1998 I regularly attended the regional/national Santa Clara Shows. That show went away many, many years ago. Much to my disappointment.
Unless something recently changed, I don't believe this is true - pick up/drop off at PCGS offices is only for authorized dealers.
The Penny Lady®
@mattniss
Awesome, I didn’t know that was an option. I’m only about 30 minutes from Newport Beach so that would work great for me. I wouldn’t have to wait in that line at the show too if I did this.
Mr_Spud
The older Long Beach shows (2005-2010 or so) were my first ever LB or larger shows. Sooooo much fun.
But I echo what Charmy has said. Local and Regional dealers and collectors I talk to in the Mountain West have just said the expenses (particularly hotels) have just gotten too much to bear. Expense has driven it away . . . .
Yes, sadness. Many great memories of a super show.
Drunner
This was my understanding- dealer friend has done pickup there but it is not normal.
This link has the below in it.
https://www.pcgs.com/faq
https://youtube.com/watch?v=wwmUMvhy-lY - Pink Me And Bobby McGee
.
https://youtube.com/watch?v=D0FPxuQv2ns - Ruby Starr (from 'Go Jim Dandy') Maybe I'm Amazed
RLJ 1958 - 2023
Not really surprised by this. If they can figure out how to do a single big show in 2026, people might show up, but it would have to be demonstrably more impressive than LB shows have been lately. If they try and fail, LB is done, done, done. I'm guessing more energy will be put into making the Las Vegas show bigger.
Keeper of the VAM Catalog • Professional Coin Imaging • Prime Number Set • World Coins in Early America • British Trade Dollars • Variety Attribution
Ceasars New Orleans just completely remodeled and they have the whole brand new added tower of rooms, yet pcgs again this year chose to not do the member’s show in May there like they did for many years. But instead they choose to do a show in Las Vegas on Memorial Day weekend, and cut that show short a day (beginning on Thursday instead of Wednesday). Show grading is gonna be a mess unless they bring the equipment to Las Vegas. No way they can get the coins ready in time for end of show delivery.
Time for a regular PCGS show in Philadelphia or Boston.
Sunshine Rare Coins
sunshinecoins.com/store/c1/Featured_Products.html
Oh darn it, I better get busy picking out 8 coins to submit in February 🙁
Mr_Spud
They might want to just have a September show.....clear calender before and after, right ?.....FUN owns January and maybe going across the country 4-5 weeks later is a bit much.
Can you elaborate on that ? A few people here and on other forums said they thought the show was great and had picked up after some down years.
I've gone to the Long Beach show for the past few years, and I'm sure I'll go in February, but I can see why it's likely being discontinued. I know several coin dealers in Southern California who may have done Long Beach in the past, who are even local to the area, but just won't go back. Too expensive, and there are plenty of smaller, regional shows. Southern California is also a big place. There's no rule that says that a coin show MUST be held by the ocean in the most expensive venue possible. There are plenty of options in the Los Angeles area, not to mention in Orange County, or even in the Inland Empire. Also, what about San Diego for a big west coast show?
My personal pet peeve with Long Beach is that if you can't make it on Thursday, like let's say, because you've got commitments at work, you're missing out. If you attend on Friday, by about 3PM people are packing up. And Saturday, forget about it. I bring the kids on Saturday because of the children's event but at least a 1/3 of the vendors are gone and the rest are practically halfway out the door by noon. It does not look good if the vendor has agreed to participate in the children's scavenger hunt, and the balloons and signs marking that vendor's booth as a station on the hunt are flying over an empty booth (because the vendor is probably already at LAX) at 10AM.
And then there are the prices. If I'm going to a show, and the vendor is quoting me higher than retail for a coin because it's just that awesome, or the vendor is offering me 2/3 of the wholesale price for the Morgan I'm selling because clearly the graders at both PCGS and CAC were "high on crack" when they evaluated the coin, or the pushy vendor insults me for the type of coins I'm collecting after he kept badgering me to tell him my coin interests, I'm not going to be real enthusiastic about going back. Especially if on the following evening I'm seeing better coins at more reasonable prices at the weekly Great Collections auction. Obviously the dealer needs to make back the expense of attending the show, and I get that, but I don't like feeling as though I'm helping fund someone's cool "Weekend in LA".
I've got maybe 5-6 vendors at the Long Beach show that I look forward to seeing. At least 3 of those regularly attend the more regional shows here (e.g. Anaheim, Buena Park, Arcadia, etc.)
For those of us not dealers, how much is a table at Long Beach vs. FUN or ANA Money Show (Chicago) ?
I think this is the inevitable shake-out post-Covid. I'm not sure you need as many shows, even though I'm a guy who has mostly done local and regional shows since 2010, not the nationals.
But even local shows have closed up around the NY-NJ-CT area.
How much more are we talking about for hotels in Long Beach/Southern CA vs. FUN (Orlando) and ANA (Chicago) -- 20% ? 50% ?
Well, the Hyatt Regency at the Rosemont ANA last year was about $260/night for show rate. I think FUN’s Regency was coming in at $300. The Hyatt Regency in Long Beach is charging about $425 for same. The GACC Tampa show was about the same. All Hyatt Regency.
Empty Nest Collection
Matt’s Mattes
For those of us not dealers, how much is a table at Long Beach vs. FUN or ANA Money Show (Chicago) ?
Just took a quick look at the three websites - Long Beach tables - $500 to $2,500, Winter FUN tables - $500 to $1,500, Summer ANA tables - $850 to $3,000. Of course, that doesn't include incidentals - cases, lamps, electricity, etc.
Member ANA, SPMC, SCNA, FUN, CONECA
I attended the last show (September). Lots of empty tables. I spoke with three or four dealers who said business was slow for them. From my standpoint, Thursday seems fairly busy, but Friday wasn't. Two of the dealers mentioned that they felt three LB shows was overkill.
Dave
Tampa does not have a Hyatt Regency.
Nothing is as expensive as free money.
Hi Wyatt Regal Motel?
that's cheap
🤦🏻♂️ Sorry, I musta meant the Marriott, which is apparently where I stayed. Still high.
Empty Nest Collection
Matt’s Mattes
It's always 4:20 somewhere. Have some of these...you'll feel better...
In honor of the memory of Cpl. Michael E. Thompson
The June show had not made sense. California hotels raise rates from Memorial Day until Labor Day, and occupancy goes up as well, making it harder to get rooms and considerably more expensive.
CA sales tax nexus policy put a chill on out of state dealers' attendance. That policy went into effect right around when PCGS/CU bought the Santa Clara show. Really was inadvertent bad timing. Now, going back to two shows per year would reduce the number of physical business presence days acceptable to some dealers to return with contracts.
But there are other issues. The obvious one is the internet. Especially younger generations, the convenience and low cost of buying and bidding coins using fairly acceptable digital images works for them. It certainly was among the considerations for discontinuing auctions at shows. I think anchoring auctions played a huge role in the fate of shows. They oversaturated for a short time before the pandemic, running sessions during bourse hours, drawing away retail customers and table dealers alike throughout the day. It was nice having the post-bourse sessions, especially the platinum sales on Friday nights, and not just for the carved prime rib and all. With them gone, the fat retail wallets stayed productively at home, rather than flying in for a week. Some dealers scaled back their show presence accordingly.
The biggest shows generally are still viable. Though there certainly have been exceptions. I recall the embarrassment of the ANA in LA by Staples Center several years back. Local club shows and similar smaller regional ones have seemed to have changed and really have few demands anyway. The medium-sized regular regional ones, like Long Beach and Baltimore, are probably workable once or twice a year, but need some auction anchor. A landmark collection exhibit, the US Mint in a corner of the bourse, or some sports star signing basketballs has limited appeal in my speculation. I know, just in my case, I rarely even pay them any notice. But I am weird (.... like lots of coin folks).
Well, I hope the show finds a way to make it work for CU, dealers, attendee, auctions, everyone. If it doesn't, there were plenty of pleasant memories and a number of friendships forged over the years (over 40 years attending for me).
Last time I went to Las Vegas, there were sales tax issues and I pledged never to return.
I guess if dealers want to spend all their time trading amongst themselves, venues like Las Vegas and Tampa are grrreat!!!
It might be time to think about Phoenix in late February / early March for one big annual West Coast show.
Large Ontario convention center
Right Next to large regional ontario airport
Lots of hotels and eateries
Everything much cheaper!!!!
35 miles from downtown LA.
Why they have not gone there yet is amazing. Everything In their back yard.
Beach areas getting way to expensiive.
Inland empire is growing like the san fernado valley!!
Look into it PCGS——
Phoenix offers much that time of year. Golf courses,Cactus league pro baseball spring training.
I belong to a few clubs and we're always asking ourselves...are we reaching our CORE audience (the ones whom the hobby appeals to) as well as the PERIPHERALS (the people on the fence who aren't hardcore hobbyists but can be persuaded to stop by because they think it's interesting and/or a nice change-of-pace for the weekend) ?
I'm wondering if you really need to use the internet today and direct marketing/advertising with pop-ups or whatever to get people to notice you and consider you. It's one thing if you reach them and they say "It's not for me." I just wonder if my groups are reeaching people in the first place.
That's what I would tell the coin show promoters...are you reaching the New Audience, esp. online ?
Yes, I should have clarified my original reply with more context... authorized dealers and their associates can arrange pick up and/or drop off coins at HQ. You can't just be Joe Collector and just walk up to the front door with a submission. But it's very much an option if you qualify. In anecdotes shared with me, it's actually preferred by local SoCal dealers who send in several bulk submissions a year.
Lived in Reseda for over 31 years. I was a fixture at LB for many years, back then it was a great show, 4 times a year.
Left CA in 2015 and never looked back.
Mike
My Indians
Danco Set